New Allies, New Enemies
Tyrants (second series) Issue 2- "New Allies, New Enemies." Front cover- on the front cover is the massive shadow of a dragon, a traditional looking, four limbed, leathery winged, horn headed dragon. However, it is not simply a silhouette, but a dragon actually made of smoke and shadow. The only colour on the cover is the purple sky behind it, and the perfectly circular fiery red eyes. Narration- "Four Years Ago. Before the nanite bombing of Titan City." Kaan'Qsst kneels down on a stone floor, looking downwards. Above him comes a speech bubble with a black background and white lettering. "And why should I help you on your little task, Star-Creature?" says the speech bubble. "There is no -should-. It is a matter of choice, that is all. My task would be more easily achieved with your help, as I am no longer sure I can count on the aid of those who originally agreed to help me in the task for which I was birthed." "I could return my people here, but they would thirst for battle, and bring destruction amongst each other, to this realm. To my realm." "Or they could return to Titan City, when I call you. For my... our purposes." "Your purpose. Do not mistake it otherwise, Star-Creature. The comic cuts to show shadowy dragon from the cover, his long serpentine neck right in front of Kaan'Qsst, as a small panel shows Kaan'Qsst looking right into those eyes.? "Our purpose. You would be able to conquer, as you would otherwise do, no doubt, to stop destruction coming to your realm. There is no difference there in what you would do." "But you would have me fight these other Star-Creatures when they come?" "They will come, whether you ally with myself or not. Would it not be better to conquer at my side, therefore, and be better prepared for the invasion that will come?" "I am the Lord of Dragons. How will the aid of one Star-Creature make any difference to me? I command all the dragons, no pale weak creatures, but they bow to me. I command the basilisks, whose very gaze, should they will it, make you a statue. How does your aid make my armies any greater?"? "I have banded with the so-called 'villains' of this planet before. I can bring you others." "And you will all turn on each other, and likely myself as normal. What else can you bring me?" "When you come to the corporeal world, it won't just be the humans and their heroes, and the Kraan you must deal with. There is a being more cunning and possibly more powerful than them, perhaps Cain told you of him. Blitzkrieg." "I know the name." The Lord rears up his wings and raises his head up straight, looking down at Kaan'Qsst. "Do you think I would fear this one?" "No. But he is a force to be wary of. However, to me..." he holds out a claw, as lightning runs down his arms to his fingertips, and the fingers elongate into razor sharp claws several inches long "due to his nature, and my own, he is less of a problem." The dragon leans over again, his snout almost touching the Vor's face. "So. I cannot defeat him. But you -can-. Is that what you imply? That I am weak?" "No. I can merely deal with him more quickly. And he is a foe you would wish disposed of quickly, trust me."? "So, you would return to your realm, destroy this Blitzkrieg for me, and then I would be free to conquer?" "There is still the matter of the heroes. I would rather have them join us, but their simplistic views would make them unable to see the true enemy, I am sure. But, many of our former allies, of the so-called Tyrants, have allied with them. But, I would not trust alliance to be lasting. I am confident I could contact some of those allies. There are two who made an agreement, that I would not expect them to rescind. They know the Kraan are coming as well as I do, and what that means. If they truly are trusted and allied with the heroes... they may be able to convince the heroes to join with us." "I would conquer. Not parlay for land!" "Then we ally first. To unite the planet against the Kraan. And then..." Kaan'Qsst stands up. "You may take as much of it as you please. My concern is to destroy the Kraan. After that, what happens to this mud-ball is not of my concern. So, will you join with me?" "I will come, when these Kraan come. I will bring them to their knees, and in the ruins of the human city, I will then take it for my own. Do what you will with these so-called heroes and villains before then. They are of no concern to the Lord of Dragons." "Very well. It could be some time before the Kraan come. Will your armies not fight amongst themselves before then?" "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Time flows differently in the Ethereal. It is a risk I shall take. " Kaan'Qsst begins to leave the massive chamber. The comic shows stained glass windows behind the Lord of Dragons, and a partially broken ceiling. The two meet in a ruined church. "And how will I summon you, when I have need of you?" "The Lord of Dragons is of the Ethereal, The realm of thought and imagination. You need only think of me, when you need me, and I shall come." Kaan'Qsst leaves the ruined church, walking past the lizard-men and basilisk that escorted him there. In the next panel, he is further down the street, and the Ethereal creatures are literally fading away. "Next", Kaan'Qsst mutters, and there is nothing in the following panel but a streak of lightning. The comic cuts to show Rook, sat in the prison van, head bowed, holding rosary beads in between his clenched hands, as he stares down at the floor, chanting in Latin. The door opens, and Rook's shields his eyes from the light with a hand. Standing there is a Catholic priest. "I am been requested to see you" he says "They tell me you believe that you lost your soul, and say you have regained it." "Yes Father" says Rook, the huge man raised his cleanly shaven, handsome face to the pirest. "And thus, I have agreed to help the people to which I have brought much harm. But first, I must confess all my sins, so that the gates of Heaven will one day be open to me." "They tell me you are immortal, my child" says the priest as he sits on a bench, "The gates of Heaven are closed to you." Rook wrings his huge knuckles. "I regained my soul." He looks at the priest with determination. "I regained what Myth took from me. My mortality was taken as well. And I know who took it." Rook rises, huge hands on the bars between him and the bars. "And what priest would be told of my exact nature? What priest would believe that? And since when does Waterstone have priests at her beck and call?" The priest shrugs and opens out his hands. "You asked for a priest, they sent a priest." Rook presses his face against the bars. "I do not believe they did." He tears the two bars he is holding out of their placement. The priest stands "Now, now. You have a soul now, remember, my child." "I was -never- your child. I was your pawn." Rook steps through the gap in the remaining bars he has made, with a bar in each hand. "You were my greatest creation" says the priest, as his eyes turn black, and black energy flows around him. And standing there is the Dark Magician. "I was your toy. But then, you do enjoy toys, don't you Mittens?" Rook raises up the two bars to bring them down on the much smaller man's head. "Only in my hands" the Dark Magician says, and black energy glows about his hands, and then about the bars. In the next panel, they melt around Rook's hands, and in the next panel, turn into chunks of concrete, as Rook's hands hit the van floor. Then Rook lifts up the hands, swinging his new concrete fists with ease. There are rattling sound effects from the door as someone tries to unlock it. The Dark Magician just ducks as the concrete fist punches a hole in the wall. "Oopsy" says the Magician. The comic then cuts to Citizen Titan; David Davigobu, the African and second hero to bear the name, clad in the typical urban military style costume with black domino mask and helmet, and shield slung across his back, along with a quiver. In his hands he has his bow (once wielded by his late girlfriend, the deceased hero Ace) and an arrow nocked and ready, as he kicks the door. "What the hell is...?" The comic then shows Rook, his hand still in the wall, now a white gluey substance contained around the hand. Nobody else is in the van. "Your timing is also as poor as your fighting skills, Citizen" says Rook. "What did you do with the priest?" "Well, since there is no sign, and I am clearly a bad, bad man, its clear that I ate him." "Don't mock me. I used to be on your side once." "And I am sure you were a pride to the criminal fraternity." Citizen Titan pulls the bowstring back. "Shut... up!" "Or what? You'll shoot me in the head? Go ahead. I am sure it will be more swift and pleasant than being killed in my nightmares. Thats what happened the last time I died. I am told my head exploded. But it was the process of it that was so excruiating, dreaming I had truly died, and gone to hell. So you can kill me if you like. For as I informed your faux-priest... who, for reference, was in fact an immortal of far greater evil and power than I... I have my soul back. And I do not fear death." Citizen Titan lowers his bow. "Who was this guy?" "I believe he calls himself Dark Magician. He once called himself Death. I prefer his most recent name. Mittens." Citizen Titan stares at Rook's trapped hands. "Looks like you're the one who should be called Mittens." "Oh well played, you do have a brain afterall" says Rook, "now would you, or one of your GSPD lackey friends kindly free me from this... situation. I could tear my way out, but I thought more damage to your little vehicle might cause a hostile reaction. I believe I have some search and rescue to aid you with." "I thought you wanted confession first?" "I do believe that the Lord has sent me a message that I should get a move on. There is good work to be done." "I don't get you." "Really? But I thought we were both ex-criminals now acting the hero?" "I am an ex-thief. You're an ex-mass murderer. Difference." "I think anybody could be classed as a mass murderer if they have lived as long in this world as I have. And my killing in recent years has been quite minimal." "Gunn must be -really- desperate to let -you- out" says CT. "I thought it was Waterstone who verified this... now -that- is a surprise." "Yeah, sure. Now, shall we?" "Oh, I'd be delighted." The comic cuts to show Rook carrying a massive beam over his head, surrounded by rubble, as rescue workers move the rubble out of the way around him, as Rook puts the beam down behind him, and sees Citizen Titan stood about twenty foot behind him, arrow trained on him. "Aren't you supposed helping with the rescues, -hero-?" Rook asks, stingingly. "I'm supposed to be your minder" he responds. "Yes, because I am likely to rend apart the people I am rescuing." "Waterstone set me to mind you, I am minding you." "And I believe she also wanted you to rescue people, as wonderfully ironic as the people of this city may find being rescued entirely by criminals, I am not entirely sure if that was the woman's notion." Citizen Titan steps forward. "You talk too much." "Oh yes, come closer to me with your ranged weapons so I can rip it out of your hands and stuff it down your throat." CT stows his bow, getting closer. "Keep talking, and I will beat your stupid face." "Well yes, I suppose beating on the man who is doing all the rescue work here would be very heroic of you." CT stops. "God damn it, why did I get you?" "Don't speak of God's damnation. You know nothing of it." "All right. Okay. Lets rescue. If it stops you talking." Rook merely smiles, as the young hero steps ahead of him, into the rubble of the broken building. "Step aside, Citizen Titan coming through!" His skin turns from his African skin tone, to that of black ice. He uses his right arm to start punching beams out of the way, shattering them. The comic then shows CT's face to the reader, and Rook behind in one panel. And then in the next, Rook is gone, and there is just a flash of lightning. CT turns round. "I knew it!" He runs back over the rubble, tearing open a pouch on his belt. He takes out a small remote with a joystick, and waggles it as he runs down the road after the streak of lightning. "Blitzkrieg!" he yells. In the background, a green van comes hurtling behind CT once he reaches the road. In the next panel, it is driving right up behind him. In the next, it screeches along beside him. In the next, door opens, as CT runs, and there is no-one inside the van, which is green, with a big yellow A on the side, enclosed in a circle. In the next panel, CT leaps inside. "DAVE, I need a hand. Blitzkrieg just kidnapped Rook. You got a fix?" DAVE's John Cleese-like, white suited hologram appears in the seat behind him. "You're in luck, David." He points. "At the top of that building... all right, height is an issue. But he has stopped. Then again, the appearance doesn't entirely match Blitzkrieg..." "That ****ers always upgrading himself. Thanks DAVE, I got this." He drives right at the bottom of a skyscraper. And drives the van up the wall. "You aren't the only one who got upgrades from Idol, DAVE!" "I am not sure if, impressive though it is, if the late Ace's vehicle upgrade quite matches my being connected up to the DAMOCLES computer system and ancient weapons installed into the city by Prometheus himself..." "I'm driving up a wall, man!" "Are you aware of what is in my knowledge database? Driving up a wall ranks relatively low in the 'things that may amaze me' department. You do recall we used to have an ape who liked to devour and absorb the physical properties of paving slabs, right?" "Why is it Sakura, Idol and Shamrock are so obsessed with you?" "My stimulating conversation, of course." The comic cuts to the rooftop, where Kaan'Qsst and Rook stand. "Greetings, Rook. I have come to garner your services on a prior deal." "Clearly you missed it, but the Kraan have been dealt with. Not the invasion I was expecting, I will admit." "That wasn't the invasion... it was rather the last dying spasm of it. Are you familiar with time travel?" "Oh, personally so. These Kraan came from the future, after successful invasion?" "Yes. Presumably escaping defeat. The technology was from roughly twenty years in the future... which implies there is stil an invasion we can defeat.. excuse me." Kaan'Qsst steps to the edge of the roof. And sees the van approaching. And waits. The comic cuts to DAVE and CT looking out the windscreen at Kaan'Qsst just as they are about to hit him. "That -isn't- Blitzkrieg" says DAVE. "Good, Then he'll go down easier." "I don't believe-" The next panel shows Kaan'Qsst's hand touching the front of the vehicle. In the next panel, the van turns to dust. CT and DAVE plummet towards the ground. "I have this!" DAVE yells. And disappears. "Ah thanks!" yells CT. A flat, thin barreled futuristic looking gun pops out of a wall below CT, firing a green beam at CT, who is enveloped and disappears. In the next panel, an identical beam fires onto the rooftop, and CT appears. DAVE's hologram pops into existance next to him. "You see? My upgrade was more impressive." "Not enough!" yells CT, firing arrows and missing, as Kaan'Qsst grabs Rook, and leaps off of the building with him. "Hit them with the beams! Put them in holding cells!" "I am trying, but I'm new to this!" yells the hologram. "I am, alas, a mere fascimile of the real DAVE program, it commanded these weapon systems... I am entirely non-violent! I don't have an aim, I never needed one." The comic shows the two criminal leaping the rooftops at super-speed, as the teleport beams criss-cross around them. CT hangs his head in shame. "Waterstone's gonna kill us..." The streak of lightning leaves Titan City and traces across the sea, ending up halting on a beach along the Cornish coast. "I am not sure I required rescuing, Kaan'Qsst. Though I appreciate your freeing me from that ignoramus" Rook states. "It was not rescue. It was reacquisition. If you truly want to save this Earth, you will not do it lifting fallen rocks. We made a deal, We will stop the Kraan." "I ''do ''have a large amount of resources. I would have to go into hiding, but I have enough contacts who would maintain my anonymity whilst allowing me to access my funds and equipment. What do you want from me? Defence systems?" Kaan'Qsst nods. "Whatever defence or offence against an alien invasion that you can provide." "Very well. We have a deal." They shake hands. "What of Wrench?" "The last I knew of him, crushed under a building when Tyrant fought. But his body was never found." Kaan'Qsst grins. "Fortunately, I am rather talented, when it comes to finding technology." End of issue.